49ers’ Harold beefs up after puny production as rookie

Published 3:31 pm, Thursday, April 28, 2016

Eli Harold said he didn’t know exactly how many calories he was consuming daily earlier in the offseason, but he did offer this: “I was eating quite a bit.”

Evidently.

The 49ers outside linebacker said he currently weighs about 270 pounds after finishing last season at just under 250 pounds. A 2015 third-round pick who weighed 247 pounds at his combine, Harold committed to his beef-up program after a disappointing rookie season.

Harold didn’t have a sack in season in which he played 344 snaps, 128 as a pass-rusher, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I felt like this is my job,” Harold said. “This is what I do for a living. I’ve got to take it seriously. It’s something I really want to get better at.”

Some inspiration was provided by general manager Trent Baalke. In his exit interview after the 2015 regular-season finale, Harold said Baalke told him he needed to “step up and be able to take on those blocks and hold the point of attack.”

The 49ers need to boost its pass-rush pressure in 2016. Last year, their 28 sacks ranked 29th in the NFL and matched their fewest since 2005.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Eli Harold.

Eli Harold.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

49ers’ Harold beefs up after puny production as rookie

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Their presumptive starting linebackers are Ahmad Brooks and Aaron Lynch, who shared team-high honors with 6.5 sacks last year.